PROGRESSIVE MUSIC COMPANY

AFRO-AMERICAN MUSIC INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 36 YEARS

BOYS CHOIR AFRICA SHIRTS
 
 
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/building-today-for-tomorrow/x/267428

 Pain Relief Beyond Belief

                         http://www.komehsaessentials.com/                              

 

PITTSBURGH JAZZ

 

From Blakey to Brown, Como to Costa, Eckstine to Eldridge, Galbraith to Garner, Harris to Hines, Horne to Hyman, Jamal to Jefferson, Kelly to Klook; Mancini to Marmarosa, May to Mitchell, Negri to Nestico, Parlan to Ponder, Reed to Ruther, Strayhorn to Sullivan, Turk to Turrentine, Wade to Williams… the forthcoming publication Treasury of Pittsburgh Jazz Connections by Dr. Nelson Harrison and Dr. Ralph Proctor, Jr. will document the legacy of one of the world’s greatest jazz capitals.

 

Do you want to know who Dizzy Gillespie  idolized? Did you ever wonder who inspired Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey? Who was the pianist that mentored Monk, Bud Powell, Tad Dameron, Elmo Hope, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme? Who was Art Tatum’s idol and Nat Cole’s mentor? What musical quartet pioneered the concept adopted later by the Modern Jazz Quartet? Were you ever curious to know who taught saxophone to Stanley Turrentine or who taught piano to Ahmad Jamal? What community music school trained Robert McFerrin, Sr. for his history-making debut with the Metropolitan Opera? What virtually unknown pianist was a significant influence on young John Coltrane, Shirley Scott, McCoy Tyner, Bobby Timmons and Ray Bryant when he moved to Philadelphia from Pittsburgh in the 1940s?  Would you be surprised to know that Erroll Garner attended classes at the Julliard School of Music in New York and was at the top of his class in writing and arranging proficiency?

 

Some answers  can be gleaned from the postings on the Pittsburgh Jazz Network.

 

For almost 100 years the Pittsburgh region has been a metacenter of jazz originality that is second to no other in the history of jazz.  One of the best kept secrets in jazz folklore, the Pittsburgh Jazz Legacy has heretofore remained mythical.  We have dubbed it “the greatest story never told” since it has not been represented in writing before now in such a way as to be accessible to anyone seeking to know more about it.  When it was happening, little did we know how priceless the memories would become when the times were gone.

 

Today jazz is still king in Pittsburgh, with events, performances and activities happening all the time. The Pittsburgh Jazz Network is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing the places, artists and fans that carry on the legacy of Pittsburgh's jazz heritage.

 

WELCOME!

 

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Duke Ellington is first African-American and the first musician to solo on U.S. circulating coin

    MARY LOU WILLIAMS     

            INTERVIEW

       In Her Own Words

Crawford Grill #2—Institute of Jazz & Knowledge by Louis 'Hop' Kendrick in New Pittsburgh Courier

https://newpittsburghcourier.com/2018/07/06/crawford-grill-2-instit...

Crawford Grill #2—Institute of Jazz & Knowledge

Louis 'Hop' Kendrick

Life is complex, and often there are a number of people, places and things that help formulate how we live it. I was blessed to have my parents, who introduced me to religion and God, helped me to understand the importance of respect and earning of respect and that education could be the key to your future. One of the most important lessons they instilled into our family was that richness was not materialism, but living out God’s greatest commandment, LOVE and health and happiness. They also instilled in us that “can’t” was not acceptable in our lives of vocabulary, and we were no better than anyone, but just as good. There are some periods of time that I often reflect on the built-in advantages I had as I began to become a part of the communities around me.
I was a typical student in school, played football, paid attention to the teachers, never late or absent. (Parents did not allow that.) In January 1949 I graduated from Fifth Avenue High School, and that same year out of curiosity (or maybe concern) became involved in politics. Although I was only 17 years of age, it was instantly apparent to me that the political process was just another form of slavery. All political positions were occupied by Whites but one, and he was the kind of colored man who would say, “we tired, boss.”
As a teenager I took an active part in every political campaign until I was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952. In 1953 I registered to vote, honorably discharged in 1954 and was actively involved in every political campaign until 2016 (over 60 years). As I became more involved in politics I began to frequent the Crawford Grill #2 located at Wylie Avenue and Elmore St., and that became further maturity of my growth as it related to improving the overall quality of life for Black people. My original expectation on my introduction to the grill was music. One of my first lessons was being made aware of the fact that the Crawford Grill was the only music house between New York and Chicago that exclusively played Jazz. The surroundings grew on me as the entire business was Black-owned and a first-class operation, the likes I had never seen. The class emanated from the owner, Mr. Joseph Robinson, to the total operation of the business, first-class dining facility where you would be more comfortable taking your family. The entire staff were professionals and it was more than an institute of Jazz, especially to me, the customers were a cross-section of the entire Allegheny County, and it was my introduction to enhance my knowledge of people and things, the beginning of the kind of schooling that, if you pay attention, you can earn a PhD in Social Realities.
It would not be possible or fair for me to attempt to list all of those who unwittingly played the roles of professors, because I would omit too many deserving persons. I am compelled to list the chancellor of the institution, because he was the owner, Mr. Joseph Robinson, not only was he an astute businessman, he was intelligent—a number of persons are smart, even educated, but not intelligent. There were a number of us who qualified to be regulars in the corner of the Crawford Grill, but the Angel of Death has called all of them home, but myself and the son of the owner of the Crawford Grill, William “Buzzy” Robinson. Buzzy is an example of what we were exposed to in the Crawford Grill, because he is a world traveler—he was able to describe to us and particularly to those who had only read and saw foreign countries in movies about some of the places and things he was able to see and participate in, and he lived for years in “The Big Apple.”
The town, so nice, they named it twice—New York, New York.
The Crawford Grill is where I got to meet and know THE Mal Goode, Mr. William “Bill” Nunn Sr., editor of the Pittsburgh Courier, Mr. William Young, first Black to be appointed to the Governor of Pennsylvania’s cabinet as Secretary of Labor, all of the Black judges, all BLACK CANDIDATES. Everybody who believed he was somebody frequented the Crawford Grill. There were those persons I met, respected, learned from, listened to, and paid attention to. There were those persons who had traveled the entire country, been to the great 500 automobile race, 25 consecutive Kentucky Derbys, world championship fights, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Jack Johnson, etc. There were those who had met and known Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, Congressman Adam Clayton Powell, and they would tell how they would use their personal funds to finance Black organizations and candidates (something we don’t do today).
All of these men of yesterday are deceased, and CRAWFORD GRILL #2 IS CLOSED.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a contributor to the New Pittsburgh Courier.)

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Comment by EVD on December 4, 2019 at 11:37am
This writing of history needs to be archived if not already. So important on many levels. Those who don't remember history have no future. Thank you for the post.

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